Best Books on Assurance
Assurance of salvation is the settled confidence a believer may have that they are truly united to Christ and will be kept by Him to the end. Reformed theology grounds assurance in the promises of Scripture, the evidences of grace in a changed life, and the inward witness of the Holy Spirit, not in shifting feelings. It also teaches, against easy claims of certainty, that assurance is normally sought and can be temporarily lost through sin and later regained.
Start Here
basic
Can I Be Sure I'm Saved?
Top pickR. C. Sproul · 2011
A short, plain-English Crucial Questions booklet answering the most basic assurance question.
Knowing and Growing in Assurance of Faith
Joel R. Beeke · 2017
A popular-level, pastoral introduction to the biblical grounds of assurance.
Heaven on Earth: Assurance in the Christian Life
Thomas Brooks · 1654
A beloved Puritan classic on the privilege and marks of knowing you are a child of God.
Kept for Jesus: What the New Testament Really Teaches about Assurance of Salvation and Eternal Security
Sam Storms · 2015
Works through every relevant New Testament passage on eternal security in readable form.
Go Deeper
intermediate
The Christian's Great Interest
Top pickWilliam Guthrie · 1658
A Scottish Puritan classic on self-examination and closing with Christ, praised by Spurgeon.
The Whole Christ: Legalism, Antinomianism, and Gospel Assurance, Why the Marrow Controversy Still Matters
Sinclair Ferguson · 2016
Uses the historic Marrow Controversy to show how legalism and antinomianism both rob assurance.
The Christian Life: A Doctrinal Introduction
Sinclair Ferguson · 1981
Covers grace, faith, and assurance together as one connected doctrinal whole.
Faith Seeking Assurance
Anthony Burgess · 2015
An abridged, more approachable edition of a major Puritan treatise on true and false assurance.
For Study
advanced
The Quest for Full Assurance: The Legacy of Calvin and His Successors
Top pickJoel R. Beeke · 1999
A scholarly history tracing the doctrine of assurance from Calvin through the Puritans.
Spiritual Refining: The Anatomy of True and False Conversion, Vol. 1
Anthony Burgess · 1652
The full, unabridged Puritan treatise on distinguishing genuine grace from its counterfeits.
Assurance of Faith: Calvin, English Puritanism, and the Dutch Second Reformation
Joel R. Beeke · 1991
Beeke's original academic dissertation comparing assurance across Calvin and later Reformed schools.
A Puritan Theology: Doctrine for Life
Joel R. Beeke · 2012
A comprehensive academic survey of Puritan doctrine, including extensive treatment of assurance.
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A tiered reading guide of the best books on Assurance.